In Wine, 'Unoaked' Doesn't Mean 'Less Flavor'

PASO ROBLES, Calif., May 7 /PRNewswire/ -- First it was American oak barrels instead of French, then oak chips and in-tank oak planks instead of barrels at all. Now the white wine trend is for no oak altogether.

Winemakers have made wine without oak for thousands of years. But in California, the use of oak barrels for adding flavor exploded in the 1980s and 1990s, along with the popularity of California Chardonnay. Consumers loved the toasty, vanilla character that oak imparted.

Increasing availability of wines from Australia and New Zealand introduced American consumers to Chardonnays and other wines made without oak, usually labeled "unoaked."

Western Australian winemaker Larry Cherubino, says it's all a matter of flavor: "when you don't use oak, you can't cover up any flaws, so you have to start with better grapes in the first place. It's about flavor, mate; why cover up fruit character if you don't have to?" he says.

Cherubino's Ad Lib Tree Hugger Chardonnay, boasts on the label that "no trees were harmed in the making of this wine."

The climate in Eastern Washington is similar to that of Western Australia, and Buried Cane's Rich Hanen doesn't use oak for any of his white wines. "Cool breezes from the Cascade Mountains help retain crisp acidity, while abundant sunlight develops flavors that I don't want to bury under wood."

Hanen just released his first Pinot Grigio, which he says is full of "citrus, peach, and florals. Not wood."

Chardonnay is still king of whites in California, but Clayhouse winemaker David Frick hasn't made one in years. He focuses on white Rhone wines and Sauvignon Blanc. His Clayhouse Sauvignon Blanc was a winner in the West Coast Oyster Wine Competition last year, and a finalist this year. "Oaky wines and oysters don't go together at all," he says, "crisp acidity and fresh flavors make the best seafood match."

All three wineries agree that unoaked wines offer consumers other benefits. "Smart winemakers," says Cherubino, "top the bottle with a screw top for easy access!" (All of these winemakers use screw tops instead of corks.) And, says Hanen, "because unoaked wines don't spend time in expensive oak barrels, they usually cost less on the shelf."

And in these economic times, that may be the best consumer benefit of all.